


Unheard Memories

by chaylariche



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Post Civil War, cryotank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:43:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaylariche/pseuds/chaylariche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Civil War--- T'Challa notices a habit that Steve's formed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unheard Memories

The hallways were dark and eerily quiet as T’Challa made his way to the kitchen. The nightmares of his father had woken him up again. He drained a glass of water, then a second as the memories of pulling his father’s lifeless body from the rubble plagued his mind. He set the glass in the sink and made his way to the couch, plopping down and resting his head in his hands. After a few minutes, he heard a voice. He lifted his head and turned toward the source: downstairs.

As he started making his way down the stairs to the labs, the voice grew stronger. T’Challa could make out what the stranger was saying.

“…always poured your milk in before your cereal. Don’t ask me why ya did it, I never knew. You were always the weird one, Buck. Anyway, what else? Oh. You always wore Diamondback cologne. You loved the stuff and would only put it on outside ‘cause you knew if I got a whiff of it, my asthma would be set off. An’ you hated oatmeal, said it was food for the toothless.” The voice chuckled after the last admission.

As T’Challa descended the last step, he peered around the corner and saw Captain Rogers sitting in front of Barnes’ cryofreeze tank. There were used tissues discarded all around Rogers and his eyes were rimmed red. Rogers leaned his head against the cold glass and sniffled.

“It’s quite late, Captain,” T’Challa said as he stepped out of the shadows.

“Steve,” he whispered. “I’m not the Captain anymore. Just Steve.” Rogers wiped his face and smiled sadly at the king.

“Do you come down here often? To sit with your friend?” T’Challa asked, stepping up next to the tank.

“Only the nights I can’t sleep,” Steve said.

“How often is that?” the king asked.

“Every night,” the super soldier whispered.

“What are you doing to yourself Steve?”

“I…. I come down here and I-I remind Bucky of everything I can remember about him,” he said, his eyes trained on Bucky’s lifeless form. 

“Why do this when he cannot hear you?” the king questioned, peering into the tank.

“I don’t want him to forget again, when he comes out… if he comes out…” Steve finished softly.

T’Challa looked down at Steve. “I can see that your friend’s decision is causing you pain, yet you continue to come down here every night and relive things that hurt you. You are willingly torturing yourself. Why?”

Steve closed his eyes, put a hand on the glass, and sighed. “When he told me that he wanted to go back under… everything in me screamed not to let him. He spent the better part of 70 years in the ice, I couldn’t let him do more time. But I didn’t stop him.” He paused and looked up at Bucky’s face. 

“Because it was his choice. He’s been denied a choice for 70 years. This is the first thing he could control in a long time and I- I couldn’t be selfish enough to stop him.” Steve turned to T’Challa. “So I’ll wait. However long it takes for anyone to find a way to help him, I’ll wait.”

Steve stood and put his hand on the glass where it would be touching Barnes’ cheek. “If that means putting me under along with him, then I’ll go.”

T’Challa’s head snapped towards Steve. “You would put yourself in cryofreeze for him?”

“I’d do anything for him,” Steve whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“Your bond,” T’Challa started, admiration in his voice. “Is stronger than blood.”

“I made him a promise.” Steve’s voice was raw. “To be with him. To the end of the line.”

T’Challa laid a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “The line will not end under my watch, Rogers. I will keep you and your friend safe.” T’Challa gave Steve a soft smile and started to walk away. 

He heard Rogers whisper, “One last thing Buck. You always held my hand with your left.” As T’Challa made his way up the stairs, he glanced back and saw Rogers kiss the glass goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very aware that this little fic sucks. I was inspired after watching CW a third time. Let me know how much you hated it in the comments!


End file.
